NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati and 10 co-accused have been released on bond in a corruption case involving more than Sh271 million.
The Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday ordered Wangamati to deposit a Sh5 million bond with a surety of a similar amount or pay an alternative cash bail of Sh1.5 million.
Co-Accused Freed on Varying Bail Terms
The 4th accused, Edward Makhaya Makhanu, facing 16 counts, was granted a bond of Sh10 million or Sh2.5 million cash bail.
The 8th accused, Juma Swaleh Juma, was released on a bond of Sh8 million or Sh2 million cash bail.
Others, including Jimmy Barasa Wekesa, Christopher Masika, and Joseph Khaemba, were freed on a Sh1 million bond or Sh250,000 cash bail each.
Sandra Nasambu Soita, as well as Michael Simiyu Wangamati and Edward Barasa Wangamati, were also granted a Sh1 million bond or Sh400,000 cash bail each.
Lawyers Wafula Chesititi and Bramwel Mukewa Wafula secured their release on a Sh5 million bond or Sh1.5 million cash bail.
Strict Bail Conditions
Trial Magistrate Ziporah Gichana directed all the accused to:
- Surrender their passports within seven days.
- Refrain from interfering with witnesses.
- Avoid making prejudicial public remarks about the case.
The court also ordered the prosecution to supply witness statements ahead of a pre-trial hearing set for September 18.
Charges: Fraudulent Procurement and Money Laundering
Wangamati, his relatives, and several construction company directors are accused of engaging in fraudulent procurement practices and money laundering amounting to more than Sh271 million.
The suspects face 27 counts, including conflict of interest, fraudulent procurement, and acquisition of proceeds of crime.
According to the charge sheet, they allegedly used falsified completion and liability certificates from county governments and state agencies to win multi-million-shilling road and construction contracts between 2018 and 2021.
Companies linked to the case include Valeria Construction Limited, Nabwala Construction Limited, Mundesi Contractors, and Skyman Freighters Limited.
Nabwala Construction and its directors are specifically accused of acquiring Sh271.2 million through a Cooperative Bank account while knowing the funds were illicit.
During the plea hearing, State Prosecutor Vincent Monda did not oppose bail but sought strict conditions.
Defence lawyer Peter Wanyama urged leniency, arguing that the accused had cooperated with investigators, no public funds were lost, and some of the suspects were small-scale traders.
He also pleaded with the court to consider one suspect’s poor health.
